On September 2, a jury concluded that Yorgen Fenech, a prominent businessman in Malta, was not guilty, leading to his immediate acquittal in court. Fenech was the last of six defendants linked to the assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia on 16/10/2017.
The public jeered Fenech as he left the courthouse, while the opposition Nationalist party held a protest later that day to demand justice. Caruana Galizia's family stated that Fenech's acquittal "denied her the justice she deserved".
Caruana Galizia, 53 years old, had written extensively about corruption allegations within Malta's political and business circles. Her investigative reports targeted close associates of then-prime minister Joseph Muscat, whom she claimed owned companies in "tax havens" exposed in the Panama Papers.
The journalist died when her car was bombed near her home. At the time of her death, Caruana Galizia faced over 40 libel lawsuits.
Fenech was suspected of masterminding the bombing, but the businessman denied all accusations. The other 5 defendants involved in supplying explosives and planting the bomb have received prison sentences.
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Businessman Yorgen Fenech leaving the courthouse in Valletta, Malta in 2019. Photo: AP |
The murder of Caruana Galizia sparked international outrage and placed Malta, the European Union's (EU) smallest member state, under scrutiny amidst criticism regarding its failure to uphold the rule of law.
The case also triggered a political crisis, leading to Muscat's resignation in January 2020, following widespread anger and large-scale protests over allegations that he sought to shield friends and allies from investigation.
A two-year public inquiry, published in July 2021, concluded that the state bore "responsibility" for Caruana Galizia's murder. The government had created "an atmosphere of impunity for criminals to believe they would go unpunished" and allowed politicians to attack and insult the journalist.
The 437-page report, written by a panel of three judges, also found "compelling evidence" that her killers believed they would be protected by "those in the highest echelons of the state apparatus".
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Flowers and candles placed before a portrait of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia during a vigil outside the courthouse in Valletta, Malta in 2018. Photo: AP |
Fenech, whose business interests span energy to tourism, was arrested on his yacht in 2019 while attempting to leave Malta. Prosecutors accused Fenech of ordering the journalist's murder because she was about to publish an unfavorable article concerning his uncle.
Huyen Le (According to AFP, AP)
